1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improved devices and methods for controlling vehicle peripheral devices and subsystems, such as sirens, light bars, radar systems and so forth. Further, the invention relates to an emergency response system for rapidly coordinating and controlling the operation of numerous emergency vehicle peripheral subsystems. In other aspects, the invention relates to devices and methods for transmitting and relaying data, such as information and messages, remotely to, through and from an emergency vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Police cars and other emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks, carry a number of necessary peripheral subsystems which must be activated and controlled by the vehicle operator. These systems include sirens, light bars (flashers), radios and spotlights. Over the years, the number and complexity of these peripheral devices and subsystems has grown significantly. Conventional police cars are now also equipped, for example, with radar systems for tracking the speeds of roadway vehicles, video cameras, video cassette recorders, global positioning satellite (GPS) systems, and/or global position imaging (GPI) systems. Each of these devices has its own associated, individual control device which is usually a panel, box or control head that is mounted to or around the vehicle console so that it can be operated by the driver.
Controlling operation of a large number of peripheral devices individually can be difficult, especially in an emergency situation where a police officer cannot afford to be distracted. Having a large number of control devices which must be operated, requires the officer to direct his attention to, and then operate, numerous buttons and switches to separately control each individual device. This presents a safety hazard for both officers and bystanders.
In addition to the control problem, "cockpit clutter" has become an issue. The proliferation of control boxes or control heads mounted in the passenger compartment has caused the console area to become cluttered. These control devices can block the peripheral vision of a police officer. Also, deployment of the vehicle's air bag may be blocked in some instances, thus causing the control devices to become hazards during a collision.
A related problem addressed by the present invention is that of officer safety when the officer is outside of the police vehicle. During traffic stops, for example, an officer will leave his patrol car to obtain the driver's license and registration of a driver he has stopped. He must then return to his patrol car and, from the car, radio in information concerning the driver's license and registration in order to learn if the driver is wanted or if the vehicle the driver is driving has been stolen. The officer may be somewhat vulnerable to attack during this period because he must walk back to his patrol car and enter and exit it. Further, the officer does not have direct access to information contained within federal, state or local databases of traffic or criminal records. Therefore, he must request such information from a dispatcher and wait for it to be found and relayed to him. The process is time consuming and carries the risk that errors will be introduced in the relaying process.
A further problem addressed by the present invention relates to the time required to clear accident scenes. Currently, the average time required to clear an accident scene is 50 minutes. Accident scenes are usually located on or just off a roadway, thereby causing traffic to be delayed until the accident is cleared. A major portion of clearing time is spent with police officers completing numerous forms which identify the drivers of the vehicles involved in the accident, describe the relative locations of the vehicles, provide the driver's descriptions and so forth. Because some of the forms may require the same information, the officer must enter the same information numerous times. Because the information is entered numerous times, the chance of errors, due to disparities in the information entered, is increased.
Clearly, an invention which permits a police officer to rapidly coordinate and control the operation of his vehicle's emergency subsystems is needed. Also, an invention which improves safety for both officers and bystanders and reduces cockpit clutter is highly desirable.